


otherwhen

by zarahjoyce



Series: Dash! Bullet! [3]
Category: Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Zero-One, Tokusatsu
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen, but only when it comes to Yua and Isamu's viva la resistance characters, nothing overtly spoilery, references the KR Zero One Zi-O movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:42:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: Four Things that didn't happen to Yua and Isamu, and One that Did.
Relationships: Fuwa Isamu & Yaiba Yua, Fuwa Isamu/Yaiba Yua
Series: Dash! Bullet! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709425
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	otherwhen

_Four Things that Didn't Happen_  
  
**1.**  
  
In a rare moment of respite, Yua finds herself without anything to do - so she looks around their hideout, taking silent notice of the repairs needing to be done, supplies needing to be acquired, other secondary tasks needing their attention--  
  
And _of course,_ she finds Fuwa among the throng of their people. As always, he's there patting the elders' backs, bickering with others, offering his assistance, giving some tactical advice to their soldiers - and whatever else he does with them.  
  
She grimaces.  
  
Those same individuals often give _her_ a wide berth, but Fuwa?  
  
Fuwa they practically _flock_ to.  
  
Sometimes she thinks it a blessing, that they don't come bother her when she needs time to strategize - which is _always_.   
  
Other times she thinks it annoying, because she _sometimes_ crave some type of interaction, too. She _is_ human, after all.  
  
Yua sighs.   
  
Just then, a Styrofoam cup slides its way under her nose, and Yua blinks, looks up - and finds Fuwa standing before her.   
  
"What's this?" she asks.  
  
"What does it look like?" he asks back, holding a cup similar to her own.  
  
"We've run out of coffee supplies a week ago."  
  
"Who says it's coffee?"  
  
"Fuwa." She glares at him.   
  
"It's hot chocolate," he says finally, perhaps sensing she _isn't_ in the best of moods. "An old man gave me a cup. Thought I'd split it with you."  
  
_Hot chocolate?_  
  
Around these parts that's as rare as a pot of gold - and that's not even an exaggeration.  
  
"--why?" she asks, already halfway towards shocked.   
  
He shrugs. "Looked like you needed something warm."  
  
Yua keeps staring at him, trying to reconcile this-- this version of him with the completely moronic one she'd known for _so_ long.  
  
Fuwa frowns at her. "If you don't want it--"  
  
"No, no." She holds the cup with both hands, relishing how pleasantly hot it feels. "It's mine now." And, after a pause, "Thank you."

He smirks at her. "You're welcome." 

**2.**  
  
_"--Children?"_  
  
"I'm thinking two, maybe three." He grunts as he lifts a box full of artillery and places it on their table. "Depends on the missus, I guess."  
  
"Like someone's gonna marry _you."_  
  
"You don't know that." Fuwa cocks his head at her and says, "What about you?" He leans closer, adds, "Don't tell me you've never thought about _having_ your own."  
  
Yua rolls her eyes, continues cleaning the gun she's currently holding. Of all the things he just _had_ to bring up. "Don't be an idiot. You want me to spare a moment thinking about the _future_ when we have so many problems right _now?_ "  
  
He shrugs. "I don't know about you, but sometimes thinking about it is the only thing keeping me sane nowadays. That-- and _fighting."_  
  
Just then, the sounds of children playing and laughing reaches their ears - making both of them pause.  
  
Unwittingly she turns to Fuwa, only to find him staring at her rather intently.  
  
Yua then proceeds to pretend she _didn't._  
  
"I'll crush _all_ Humagears," he vows, a fierceness in his tone that isn't there moments before, "so we'll have a future safe for us again."  
  
Well.  
  
_That,_ she can respond to.  
  
"Congratulations," Yua says dryly, glancing at him. "That's probably the only non-foolish thing you've said to me all day."  
  
He laughs. "Is that so?"  
  
"Of course," she says, trying to keep herself from smiling. "I've been keeping count."  
  
He laughs again. "Of course you are."  
  
**3.**  
  
It happened all too quickly to make sense: one minute they're holding their ground, the next something flew over their heads and then all Isamu knows is that half the building they were in actually fucking _collapsed_ and--  
  
"It's a high-grade grenade," one of their fighters reported, sounding winded. "The Humagears launched it as they're retreating."  
  
Isamu curses under his breath. If only there was a way to get rid of them in one swoop! "Find out how stable the building still is," he orders. "We may have people trapped in there."  
  
"Yes, Sir!"  
  
He turns around, surveying the damage their latest skirmish had caused. Then he turns again, his gaze drifting, trying to find--  
  
"Yaiba," he barks, catching an individual by the arm. "Where is she?"  
  
The young man looks absolutely frightened by now. "I-I-I don't know!"  
  
Isamu lets him go, glances towards the half-destroyed building and--  
_  
"Cover us," he'd said to her earlier.  
  
She'd nodded. "Leave it to me."  
  
And she headed _inside _the building to do just that._  
  
Inside.  
  
She was _inside_.  
  
Isamu's initial steps were slow, but soon after realizing _where_ Yaiba most definitely was--  
  
_"Move!"  
  
_He pushes aside two of his men and starts digging through the rubble himself. Soon his hands started bleeding but he doesn't _dare_ stop, pulling off slabs practically his own weight as though they're mere toothpicks in his grasp.  
  
Isamu mentally berates himself for not transforming before starting so as to get the job done quicker when his hand touches something _soft_ from under the debris and--   
  
_"Yaiba!"  
  
_The yell that comes out of his mouth is too feral to even be considered _his._ Wildly, he looks around him, not even seeing their faces but knowing they have to fucking _move_. "Help me get this shit off of her - quick!"   
  
It takes them some seconds before Isamu slides her cleanly out of the tiny amount of space she's been in earlier. She's out cold, and the bleeding gash at the side of her head scares the everfucking _shit_ out of him. Isamu lifts her up in his arms and all but sprints towards the nearest available vehicle, intending, above all else, to bring her _home.  
  
_He doesn't check her pulse or if she's breathing, won't even acknowledge the reason why he didn't _want_ to, in the first place. Instead he keeps her lying on his lap, her head nestled against the crook of his neck.  
  
Isamu can practically _hear_ her berate him for treating an injured victim this way.  
  
"I'm not going to let you leave this easily," he snarls, tightening his hold on her. "You hear me? _Yaiba!_ "  
  
_Open your eyes, goddamnit!_  
  
**4.**   
  
Isamu really didn't know what happened.  
  
Soon as he's laid Yaiba down on her bed, he'd found himself unable to move - despite wanting to. Exhaustion finally creeping up his bones, he sits on the chair right next to her bed, closes his eyes--  
  
\--and unceremoniously _falls_ to the side, seemingly just minutes _after_.  
  
Cursing loudly, he moves up to his feet, hoping he hasn't woken Yaiba from her rest--  
  
\--only to find the bed empty.  
  
_Empty?_  
  
Isamu checks under the bed, half-expecting that she'd also rolled off to the side - like _he_ did.  
  
Except there's nothing there.   
  
They can't have taken her, not so soon after he'd set her down - can they? One of the doctors they've had with them said that Yaiba _may_ wake up concussed, but without proper equipment he cannot diagnose the extent of her injury - hence the advise that Isamu should just let her rest, all the while hoping for the best.   
  
He storms out of their quarters, already thinking about where she could have been brought to or who to berate on why he wasn't informed before having her moved, when he turns right around the corner and almost collides with--  
  
"--Fuwa?"  
  
And there stands Yaiba, half her face covered with bandages too big for her head and _she_ had the _nerve_ to ask, "What are you doing up?"  
  
For a moment, all Isamu can do is _stare_.  
  
After finding his voice he asks, "What am I-- what are _you_ doing up?" Isamu grabs her arm. "Goddamnit, Yaiba! You should be resting! You almost died!"  
  
"Like _you_ didn't?" she replies.  
  
He frowns. "What are you--"  
  
"Your hands, you idiot. They're _bleeding_." Yaiba displays the first aid kit she holds and says, "That's why I got up."  
  
Isamu then looks down at his hands, as if only noticing _now_ that they are, in fact, busted and bleeding in several places. Instead of acknowledging them, however, he shoves his hands under his arms and says, "Don't even bother. Just rest. I'll-- take care of it." He takes the kit from her - then dumps it to the side.  
  
She sighs. "Fuwa--"  
  
Without another word, he moves next to her, grips both her arms, and all but _pushes_ her to walk forward - back to her bed.  
  
"You do realize you're _not_ my superior, don't you?" she gripes. "You have no authority over me."  
  
"I don't," he agrees.   
  
"Then why--"  
  
Isamu doesn't look at her as he says, quietly: "I need you _alive_ , Yaiba. I need you alive so we can win this war. So we both can have a future after Humagears - after _this._ "  
  
That, perhaps, is the single most truthful thing he's ever told her - making him feel exposed, oddly enough.   
  
She glances towards him. The bandage on her head makes it difficult to see what her expression is, but something about the tilt of her head tells him that she's _not_ at all annoyed with what he said.  
  
"Hmm," she mumbles. "Maybe you _are_ capable of thought after all."  
  
And, despite _everything_ , he laughs.  
  
-

_And One That Did_

**1.**  
**  
** ZAIA Enterprise has fallen, the news says. Amatsu Gai has been put away for crimes he'd committed against both humans and Humagears.  
  
Despite being his right hand, she finds herself free of any charge _or_ blame - thanks, mostly, to Hiden Aruto.  
  
Except--  
  
Now, what?  
  
Yua grimaces. She's dreamed of being free of Gai's control, but somehow that seemed too impossible and far-fetched - hence she never entertained the thought deeply.  
  
Now, she realizes, perhaps she _should_ have.  
  
Too engrossed in thought she is that she almost doesn't notice the Styrofoam cup sliding under her nose - until she's directly _looking_ right at it.  
  
She blinks, looks up - and finds _Fuwa_ standing right before her, holding a cup similar to her own.  
  
"What's this?" she asks.  
  
"What does it look like?"  
  
"I didn't order coffee."  
  
"Who says it's coffee?"  
  
_"Fuwa."_ She glares at him.   
  
"It's hot chocolate," he says finally, perhaps sensing she _isn't_ in the best of moods. "Thought I'd buy you one. You looked like you needed it."  
  
Despite her initial reservations, she holds the cup with both hands, relishing how pleasantly hot it feels. Maybe she _does_ need one, after all. "Thank you."  
  
"Don't mention it." He sits on the chair right across from hers, takes a sip out of his own cup. Then, "Yaiba--"  
  
"Don't."   
  
"Don't...?"  
  
"Don't ask me what my plans are," she says, keeping her eyes on her drink.   
  
"Don't tell me--" Fuwa leans closer to her and adds, "--you _don't_ have any?"   
  
She purses her lips - then takes a sip.  
  
"It's okay, you know," he tells her, surprising and making her _look_ at him. "Not having any plans right now. The important thing is that you're free to think about what it is that _you_ want - now that that son of a bitch _isn't_ around."  
  
But that's the problem, isn't it? She _doesn't_ know what it is.  
  
At least, not yet.  
  
"What about you?" she asks. "Have _you_ found your dream yet?"  
  
Fuwa pauses, drinks from his cup. "No," he says. "But I'll find it. I'll _definitely_ work for the future I want to have, _with_ the people I want to have it with - mark my words." He then glances at her. "Maybe you should do the same."  
  
Yua looks right back at him, actually giving thought to his words.   
  
Perhaps her goal _can_ be similar to his. Finding a dream - and then working hard towards achieving it.  
  
Who would have thought? That she _can_ learn a thing or two from _Fuwa Isamu,_ of all people?  
  
"I take everything back," she says, nodding. "Seems you _are_ capable of thought after all."  
  
Seemingly not expecting the compliment, he chokes on his own hot chocolate--  
  
\--making _her_ laugh.   
  
_This_ time.


End file.
